Watch: The World’s Fastest Howitzer

Watch: The World’s Fastest Howitzer

This post is also available in: heעברית (Hebrew)

Meet the Archer Artillery System: An international collaboration between Sweden and Norway designed to be a development geared towards creating an ultramodern self-propelled artillery system. Production on this system began in 1995 with Sweden ordering its first lot of seven units in 2008.

The fully automated 155mm/L52-gun howitzer and a M151 Protector remote controlled weapon station are the staples of this high-powered machine. The Howitzer has the ability to fire 5 rounds from different trajectories and hit an exact target simultaneously. Troops ride in an armored cab fitted with bullet and fragmentation-proof windows, the engine is also encapsulated in bulletproof material. The cabin seats up to 4 persons and its price tag is estimated at a cost of roughly $4,500,000.

The Archer Artillery System is 14 meters in length and 3 meters in width. It weighs 30,000 kg and can reach a speed of 65 km/h.

This artillery system, developed by BAE Systems, is a further development of the FH 77B 155-mm howitzer. Its barrel was extended to 52 calibers to give longer range of fire. The Archer also fires Excalibur precision guided extended range projectiles with a maximum range of 60 km. It is also compatible with Bonus precision guided projectiles.

The Archer artillery system is mounted on the commercially available Volvo A30D 6×6 articulated hauler chassis. The vehicle is fitted with emergency driving equipment, which makes possible to drive with all wheels punctured. The Archer can be airlifted by the Airbus A400M transport aircraft.